Never Meant to be Seen

Chapter 8- Ava's Truth

Chapter 8 – Ava's Truth

The words landed like a knife against my chest. For a second, I felt my breath stop, my heart pounded so loudly I was certain she could hear it, but I forced myself to stay calm. I had spent weeks studying Isabelle's smile, her posture, even the way she blinked when she was nervous.I couldn't lose control now.

"I'm sorry?" I said with a confused smile. "I don't know what you're talking about." Ava didn't move. She didn't even blink. "I said," she repeated quietly, "you're not Isabelle."

I gave a small laugh. "That's ridiculous." She looked at me firmly. "Is it?" She took a slow step closer.

"You can fool everyone else out there. You can fool Arlo. You can fool the Ashworth family. But you can't fool me." A cold shiver ran down my spine. No one can fool Arlo, he already suspects me, what is she even saying but how did she know I wasn't Isabelle? Did I say something wrong? Was it the way I spoke when she first arrived? I thought I pulled that well or was it the way I smiled?

I searched my memories desperately, trying to find the mistake that had betrayed me but nothing came to mind. "I think you're mistaken, I am Isabelle" I replied, keeping my voice steady. Instead of arguing, Ava sighed."I'm not here to expose you." That caught me off guard.

"What?" I asked, still making sure if I heard her well, "I said I'm not your enemy." I frowned because what is she playing at, I looked at her, I was looking for a lie but her expression remained calm, she wasn't lying. "If that's true, then why corner me?" I wanted to know because it was as if she was catching a liar. "Because I wanted answers."

She looked at me for a long moment before speaking again. "I haven't seen Isabelle in three years." She paused before continuing. "I've been estranged from the family." Her expression hardened. I listened quietly. "They stopped treating me like family a long time ago." I remained silent. She looked toward the closed door before continuing.

"My father died years ago. After that, everyone slowly pushed me away." There wasn't bitterness in her voice anymore, only exhaustion. "I stopped attending family gatherings.I stopped answering their calls and eventually..." She paused again

"They stopped pretending I existed." She laughed softly, though there wasn't an ounce of humor in it. "Funny, isn't it? Blood means nothing when money is involved."

I watched her carefully. She didn't look like she was lying,her shoulders were tense.

Her eyes looked tired, there was pain hidden beneath every word she spoke.

"So no," Ava continued. "I haven't seen Isabelle in three years." She looked directly into my eyes. "Which means I know something isn't right." I swallowed.

"What makes you think that?" I asked shakily. "Because Isabelle would've recognized me." Silence filled the room.

"You looked at me the way a stranger would." I didn't answer. I tried "And when you smiled..." She shook her head. "It wasn't her smile."

I felt my stomach twist, after weeks of preparation and learning, countless hours studying Isabelle practising her smile and yet her sister still noticed something about the smile. "I still don't know who you are," Ava admitted. "But I know you're not my sister." The room suddenly felt too warm. Every escape route seemed farther away. If she exposed me then everything would be over, the money, the deal, everything.

I slowly lowered my voice. "If you know..." I paused a little "Why haven't you told anyone?"

Ava stared at me for several seconds. Finally, she answered. "Because someone paid me to come tonight." I blinked, "What?" I just started and I'm being attacked, I just hope this job doesn't take my life, Ava spoke again. "They contacted me last week." My eyebrows pulled together. "Who?" I was beginning to get scared. "I don't know." I searched her face looking for the tiniest lie but I didn't find any, she was telling the truth and honestly I hated it.

She reached into her purse and pulled out her phone. "They never called, they only sent messages." She unlocked the screen and showed it to me, the sender had no name, just an unknown number. The messages were short. Attend the engagement party, watch carefully. You'll discover the truth. Your payment will be transferred afterward.

A chill crawled across my skin. What did I get myself into, Mia never mentioned something like this would happen. "They offered me fifty thousand dollars," Ava said quietly. My eyes widened, "For simply attending?" She nodded. "I thought it was strange.So I almost ignored it." She continued. "But curiosity got the better of me." She slipped the phone back into her purse. "When I walked into the ballroom and saw you..." She paused. Then continued "I realized why I had been invited.You were the truth they wanted me to see." My mouth went dry.

Someone knew. Someone had known before tonight, someone knew I wasn't Isabelle but instead of exposing me, they had invited Ava. Why? Who would do something like that? "What do they gain from this?" I whispered. "I've been asking myself the same question." Neither of us spoke.

Outside, music drifted faintly through the walls.People were laughing. Glasses clinked together. Meanwhile, inside this tiny room, my entire world was falling apart. "I don't want to ruin your life," Ava suddenly said. "I just want answers." I searched her face. "Then help me."

Her eyebrows lifted. "Help you?" She asked. I could see shock and suspicion in her reaction.

"If someone paid you to come here, then they're after both of us." She hesitated.

"I don't know if I can trust you." "You don't have to.But if they know I'm pretending to be Isabelle." I looked straight into her eyes. "They're already several steps ahead of us."